CVE-2015-3650 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
vmware-vmx.exe in VMware Workstation 7.x through 10.x before 10.0.7 and 11.x before 11.1.1, VMware Player 5.x and 6.x before 6.0.7 and 7.x before 7.1.1, and VMware Horizon Client 5.x local-mode before 5.4.2 on Windows does not provide a valid DACL pointer during the setup of the vprintproxy.exe process, which allows host OS users to gain host OS privileges by injecting a thread.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2024
This vulnerability exists in VMware Workstation, Player, and Horizon Client applications on Windows systems where the vmware-vmx.exe process fails to properly establish a valid Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) pointer when creating the vprintproxy.exe process. The flaw occurs during the initialization phase of virtual machine printing functionality, specifically when the system attempts to set up a proxy process for handling print operations between the guest and host operating systems. The missing DACL pointer creates a security boundary failure that allows local users on the host system to escalate their privileges to the host OS level through thread injection techniques. This represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability that bypasses normal access controls and can be exploited by malicious users with local system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of Windows security descriptors during process creation. When vmware-vmx.exe attempts to launch vprintproxy.exe, it fails to properly configure the security attributes that should restrict access to the newly created process. This results in a process with elevated permissions that can be manipulated by local users through thread injection attacks. The vulnerability specifically affects versions of VMware products where the security descriptor setup routine does not validate or properly initialize the DACL structure, allowing attackers to inject code into the privileged process and execute arbitrary commands with host OS privileges. This flaw aligns with CWE-276, which describes improper default permissions, and represents a classic case of insufficient privilege separation in multi-layered virtualization environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3650 is severe for organizations relying on VMware virtualization products, as it provides a straightforward path for privilege escalation attacks. An attacker with local access to a host system running vulnerable VMware software can exploit this vulnerability to gain full administrative privileges on the host machine, potentially compromising the entire virtualization infrastructure. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users share the same physical host or where virtual machines are used for sensitive data processing. The attack vector requires only local system access and does not need network connectivity or complex exploitation techniques, making it highly attractive to threat actors. The vulnerability can be leveraged to establish persistent access, escalate privileges beyond the intended scope of virtualization, and potentially access other systems within the network that depend on the compromised host.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches for VMware Workstation 10.0.7, 11.1.1, Player 6.0.7, 7.1.1, and Horizon Client 5.4.2 to address this vulnerability. System administrators should also implement additional security measures such as monitoring for unusual process creation patterns, particularly around vmware-vmx.exe and vprintproxy.exe processes, and ensure that virtualization environments are properly segmented from critical systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper security descriptor handling in privileged processes and highlights the need for regular security assessments of virtualization platforms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques using process injection and improper privilege management, representing a significant risk to the integrity and confidentiality of virtualized environments. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential security boundary failures in their virtualization infrastructure and implement least-privilege principles for all virtual machine processes.